The following resources are recommended in order to assist you to better understand Design Thinking. These resources, videos, and tools should be explored so as to familiarise yourself with how Design Thinking is being taught and applied currently. The resources listed below are only a sample of a wide array of information available on the subject.

In the resources below, you will notice that different organisations and people would use different models of Design Thinking. For example, the d.school, or the Institute of Design at Stanford, uses a five-stage model comprising Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. On the other hand, IBM uses a model with Understand, Explore, Prototype, and Evaluate stages. The key thing to note is that while the models might have different names and number of stages, they are all centred around the same core principle of human-centred design, where a deep understanding of users is used to create ideas that are then quickly tested and iterated.

Videos

Design and Thinking

The movie Design and Thinking is a documentary-style glimpse into the world of Design Thinking from the perspective of some of its practitioners, thought leaders, and critics. The movie is by no means exhaustive, nor does it unpack the process or techniques in major detail, but it provides an introduction to the methodology and perspectives of those who make use of it within different settings.

How It Works: Design Thinking by IBM

In this short six-minute video, IBM Think Academy effectively sums up the basics of Design Thinking and Agile development. It elaborates on the process by using an example of how Design Thinking can be applied to a garden design and supply business — which makes it very easy to absorb and understand.

60 Minutes Interview with David Kelley

David Kelley is an early founding member of what would later become IDEO as well as a leading figure in the creation of the d.school. Kelley is one of the Pioneers of the Design Thinking methodology and still engaged in its promotion and development.

The following interview aired on 60 Minutes provides some insight into David Kelley’s approach to Design Thinking, as well as how it is applied at IDEO and the d.school:

IDEO: Design Thinking Mindsets

A series of videos produced by IDEO.org features a few key mindsets design thinkers should adopt when solving problems. Each mindset is explained by a Design Thinking champion or leader of a company that successfully adopted the Design Thinking process.

Design Thinking is a methodology, not a craft. That’s one of the points Stanford University lecturer Dave Evans makes in this video about Design Thinking. In a short six and a half minutes, Dave Evans covers — with exceptional clarity — a range of topics relating to Design Thinking, from tame and wicked problems, different types of thinking (optimisation thinking, analytical thinking, and of course Design Thinking) to how prototyping can be used to design your life. Through this video, Dave Evans shows that Design Thinking is more than a skill — it’s a transferable methodology that can be applied in almost all complex situations.

Design Thinking Methods

IDEO’s Human-centred Design Methods

In the link above, you’ll find a wealth of human-centred design methods which are relevant to Design Thinking. All methods are described by IDEO, who has made this entire website so as to give us all access to amazingly practical methods. They’re methods which you can use as a guide to start unleashing your creativity, putting the people you serve – your users – at the centre of your design process so as to come up with innovative solutions to difficult problems.

IDEO is one of the successful design companies which has placed Design Thinking at the very core of their problem-solving methodology. They have developed a number of tools, books, and videos which assist in understanding the space within which Design Thinking operates and how it is used within different settings. IDEO’s website is here: www.ideo.com

Tim Brown is CEO of IDEO and recognised as having popularised the use of the term Design Thinking to refer to a specific set of procedures, techniques and methods used to unlock innovation. Tim provides some great insight into what design Thinking is, why it is needed and how it can be used in varying settings through his speaking and writing as well as his project focus at IDEO. His book “Change by Design” is a must read for anyone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the roots of Design Thinking as a practice and how it could change the way we create a more positive future.http://www.ideo.com/people/tim-brown

d.school’s Design Thinking Methods

The d.school at Stanford, known officially as the “Hasso Plattner Institute of Design”, gave Design Thinking its public face with their world-famous program, which they openly promote and share. Their creation and packaging of an easy-to-understand process, along with openly sharing this, has driven the uptake of Design Thinking by many organisations and businesses worldwide.